Musical instrument supporting device



Feb. 14, 1961 G. H. WAY

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 8, 1958 IINVENTOR. GEORGE H. WAY BY FIG. 5

AT ORNEY United States Patent 2,971,738 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SUPPORTING DEVICE George H. Way, 225 Jackson St., Elkhart, Ind. Filed Aug. s, 1958, Set. N6. 753,914 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-226) The present invention relates to a device for holding a musical instrument and more particularly to a device adapted to be mounted on a bass drum or the like for supporting drummers traps and the like.

Conventional devices for supporting drummers traps are easily-jarred from the desired position on the drum such that frequent readjustments of the device and traps are often required. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a device for supporting drummers traps which can easily be mounted on a bass drum, readily adjusted to the desired position and secured firmly in place with the manipulation of only two or three simple adjustment means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for supporting a cymbal or the like on a bass drum, which effectively grips a drum part as a support therefor and which positively locks the device in any desired adjusted position eliminating the possibility of accidental or unintentional shifting from the adjusted position.

Still another object is to provide a relatively simple and sturdy cymbal holding device which is readily adaptable to any conventional bass drum and easily adjustable to any suitable position thereon.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a bass drum showing my musical instrument supporting device mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of my instrument supporting device illustrating the manner in which it is secured to a bass drum;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the device shown in the preceding figures;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the device taken on line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is an end view of the base portion of the device shown in the preceding figures, with the post thereof removed.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral designates a conventional bass drum having hoops 12 and 14, 16 my musical instrument supporting device, and 18 a cymbal mounted on the upper end of the device in the position normally used by a drummer.

The device includes a base 20 on one end having an inverted U-shaped portion 21 for receiving a horizontally positioned rod 22 and on the other end a clamp means 24 for gripping the protruding edge of drum hoop 12. The horizontal portion 26 of base 20 is curved laterally, as seen in Figure 3, so that only the longitudinal edges of portion 26 will engage the periphery of the hoop, thereby giving two spaced points of contact 27 and 28 between the upper side of the hoop and base 20. The clamp means consists of an inverted L-shaped member 30 sup ported and pivoted on the vertical portion 32 of the base by a member 34 having a rectangular slot 36 therethrough for receiving portion 32, member 30 being welded, scldered or otherwise joined rigidly to member 34. The latter member is held in the approximate position for clamping the hoop by a lug or screw 38 attached to portion 32 below member 34. The vertical portion of member 30 is spacedfrom portion 32 to permit the left hand end of member 34 to tilt downwardly when'the clamp is loosened and thus permit the clamp to be easily attached to the drum hoop. Member 34 is tightened against the underside of the hoop by a thumb screw 40 which is threaded into a hole in the lower part of portion 32 and engages the lower part of member 30. As thumb screw 40 is tightened, it forces member 30 inwardly and the left hand end of member 34 upwardly against the lower side of the hoop. When the clamp has been tightened into gripping relation with the hoop, four distinct points of contact between the present device and the hoop are pro vided, namely the two spaced points 27 and 28 on the top side of the hoop and the points contacted by the opposite edges 42 and 44 of member 34 on the lower side of the hoop, thus giving a firm gripping action by the clamp on the hoop. When the thumb screw is loosened, the weight of members 30 and 34 causes member 34 to drop down wardly away from the underside of the hoop and to remain open until the clamp is again mounted on the hoop and the .screw tightened.

The cymbal 18 is mounted on the upper end of a post 50, seating on a shoulder 52, and is secured thereto by a nut 54 threaded onto the reduced diameter portion 56 of the post. This post is adjustable to various angles and'to lateral positions by horizontal rod 22 and fixture 66 secured to the end of the rod, consisting of a collar 62 formed integrally with or otherwise joined rigidly to the rod and a rotatable collar 64 mounted on the end of rod 22 and held thereon by a winged nut 66 threaded onto the reduced diameter end of the rod. The lower end of post 50 is secured rigidly to collar 64. Adjacent ends of collars 62 and 64 are provided with knurling or serrations 67 consisting Ofradial grooves and ridges 6S and 7 9 which interlock with one another when nut 66 is tightened onto the end of rod 22 and prevent relative rotation between the two collars. Thus when nut 66 has been tightened, rod 22, fixture 60 and post 50 form a rigid unit. Post 50 is adjusted relative to rod 22 by merely loosening winged nut 66 to the point where the knurling on the respective collars is disengaged, rotating collar 64 relative to collar 62, and then retightening nut 66. The rod is provided with a flattened side 72 and is held in a longitudinally adjusted position by a thumb screw 74 threaded through a hole in the upper part of U-shaped portion 21 and engaging the flattened side of the rod. The rod is adapted to be adjusted only longitudinally, the angular adjustment of post 50 being made primarily by adjusting collar 64 relative to collar 62.

In using the present instrument holding device, thumb screw 40 is loosened sufiiciently to permit the drum hoop to slip between the underside of portion 26 and the upper side of member 34 and is then tightened, forcing the vertical portion of member 36 inwardly toward the drum and member 34 upwardly into firm engagement with the underside of the drum hoop. Winged nut 66 is then loosened until the serrations on collars 62 and 64 are disengaged; collar 64 is rotated on rod 22 relative to collar 62 until the desired angular position of post 50 is obtained, and nut 66 is tightened until the serrations are again in firm interlocking position. Lateral adjustment of the post is then made by loosening thumb screw 74, slipping rod 22 longitudinally in either direction and then tightening screw 74 firmly against flattened side 72 of the rod. After the foregoing adjustments have been made, and the thumb screws 40 and 74 and winged nut 66 firmly tightened in place, the deviceforms a rigid structure for supporting a cymbal or other musical instrument securely attached to the hoop of the drum.

My instrument supporting device would normally be constructed entirely of metal and preferably of steel with chromium plating or other suitable protective coating. While only one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated herein, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. A device for supporting a musical instrument on a drum having a hoop with an overhanging edge, comprising a transversely curved longitudinal portion for engaging at its edges the upper side of the hoop, a portion attached to said portion and extending downwardly over the edge of the hoop, a flat member pivoted on said second mentioned portion and extending beneath the overhanging edge of said hoop, an inverted L'shaped member secured to said pivoted member and extending down- Wardly alongside said second mentioned portion, a thumb screw threaded through a hole in said second mentioned portion and engaging said L-shaped member for tightening said pivoted member against said hoop, an inverted U-shaped portion attached to said first mentioned portion and having aligned holes in the arms thereof, a rod having a fiat side thereon extending through said holes, a thumb screw threaded through a hole in the connecting part of said U-shaped portion and engaging the flat side of said rod, a collar fixedly secured to said rod and having a knurled portion on the end thereof, a collar rotatably mounted on said rod between said first mentioned collar and the end of said rod and having a knurled portion on the end thereof adjacent the knurled portion of said first mentioned collar, a winged nut threadedly received on the end of said rod for holding said knurled portions in interlocking engagement, a rod secured at one end to said rotatable collar and extending radially therefrom, and a shoulder and a nut for securing a musical instrument to the other end of said last mentioned rod.

2. A device for supporting a musical instrument on a drum having a hoop with an overhanging edge, comprising a longitudinal portion for engaging the upper side of the hoop, a depending portion attached to said portion and extending downwardly over the edge of the hoop, a member pivoted on said depending portion and extending beneath the overhanging edge of said hoop, an inverted L shaped member secured to said pivoted member and extending downwardly alongside said depending portion, a screw threaded through a hole in said depending portion and engaging said L-shaped member for tightening said pivoted member against said hoop, an inverted U-shaped portion attached to said first mentioned portion and having aligned holes in the arms thereof, a rod having a flat side thereon extending through said holes, a screw threaded through a hole in the connecting part of said U- shaped portion and engaging the flat side of said rod, a collar fixedly secured to said rod and having a knurled portion on the end thereof, a collar rotatably mounted on said rod between said first mentioned collar and the end of said rod and having a knurled portion on the end thereof adjacent the knurled portion of said first mentioned collar, a nut threadedly received on the end of said rod for holding said knurled portions in interlocking engagement, a rod secured at one end to said rotatable collar and extending radially therefrom, and a means for securing a musical instrument to the other end of said last mentioned rod.

3. A device for supporting a musical instrument on a drum having a hoop with an overhanging edge, comprising a transversely curved longitudinal portion for en gaging the upper side of the hoop, a part attached to said portion and extending downwardly over the edge of the hoop, a flat member pivoted on said part and extending beneath the overhanging edge of said hoop for gripping the overhanging edge of said hoop, an inverted L-shaped member secured to said pivoted member and extending downwardly alongside said part, and a screw threaded through a hole in said part and engaging said L-shaped member for tightening said pivoted member against said hoop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,853 Hoinan Dec. 26, 1899 1,074,272 Kline Sept. 30, 1913 1,412,428 Upham Apr. 11, 1922 1,924,784 Greenleaf Aug. 29, 1933 2,080,261 Funk May 11, 1937 2,431,400 Iverson Nov. 25, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Advertisement of The Duplex Mfg. Co., in The Music Trades, Jan. 21, 1926. (Copy in Div. 5.) 

